Iron Nest Wins Best Steam Next Fest Demo Praise With 99% Steam Rating
Updated
Updated · Kotaku · Jun 20
Iron Nest Wins Best Steam Next Fest Demo Praise With 99% Steam Rating
1 articles · Updated · Kotaku · Jun 20
Summary
Iron Nest: Heavy Turret Simulator emerged as the standout of June’s Steam Next Fest for the reviewer, who called it the best demo they have played on Steam despite finding the broader event disappointing.
A 2-person team — Nick Nieuwoudt and Dominik Latos — built the dieselpunk artillery sim, which is already the top demo on Steam’s trending tab and holds a 99% Overwhelming Positive user score.
Its appeal comes from dense, hands-on play: players plot coordinates, calculate range, load shells, rotate turrets and manage malfunctions, turning each shot into a meticulous multi-step operation.
That process is paired with a darker setup in which orders from High Command can conflict with frontline reports, including a first mission that destroys an allied hospital, giving the sim moral tension beyond its mechanics.
The praise stands out because the reviewer said June 2026’s Next Fest felt unusually weak and cluttered, making Iron Nest the clear exception and a surprise favorite for 2026.